Thrift Store Beach Tray

Looking for thrift store craft ideas that are perfect for the summer months? Make a Thrift Store Beach from Tiffany Windsor tray using inexpensive materials. This is a great decorative piece that you can display even when it's cold outside.


 

Materials:

• Wood tray
• Blue low-mask painters tape
• Tulip Soft Paint – Cool Blue, Linen
• Cosmetic sponge
• 4″ repositionable alphabet stencils
• Foam brush
• Paint palette (or wax paper)

Instructions:

1. I found this cool wooden tray at my local thrift store. Is was plain wood with a varnish finish. Because I was in a hurry to make this project, I decided not to strip or sand off the varnish which worked fine for my weathered finish but I do recommend that if you want a fine finish to your finished project, you should take the time to sand off the varnish.
   
   
    
2. I used the blue tape to mask off the edges to create a striped pattern.
   
   
    
3. I like to use a cosmetic sponge to apply paint when I stencil. Just pour a small puddle on your palette. Dab sponge into paint and then dab it several times on the palette to evenly spread the paint on the sponge. Gently dab it over the areas of your tray that you want to paint. Apply several thin coats of paint, letting paint dry in between coats.
   
   
    
4. Place your stencil lettering where desired on your tray.
   
   
    
5. Carefully dab on background color with cosmetic sponge being careful not to move the lettering. Again, apply several thin coats of paint letting each coat dry completely.
   
   
    
6. As soon as all of the paint has been applied to the background, carefully lift the lettering. Let paint dry completely.
   
   
    
7. Using foam brush, apply Linen paint in a dry brush effect over entire surface of tray. If you apply too much paint, you can use a wet wipe to gently wipe away excess paint. Just use a soft touch to wipe away the paint so that you do not disturb the background color. Display your favorite beach collectibles!
   
   

For a comprehensive video tutorial of this project, check out Thrift Store Beach Tray.